Hello Friends.
How has your week been?
In this small corner, D and I have been having fun with some items we bought last weekend at the doll house show. We already had this little bare wood dresser unit and decided to paint it up to blend it in with another dresser which had already been dressed by a lovely lady called Julie.
We used a mix of copper pans, tins, jars and bowls to fill the unit and dirtied up one of the dishes as though someone had just used it. We still have many other bits and pieces in the kitchen to complete, and when we have finished, we can continue our tour of the house.
Our son has been in Scotland this week, and while he physically travelled there, I have been armchair travelling again. My thoughts turned to a place and a person whom I never met. The place is Scapa Flow, and the person is my paternal grandfather.
Scapa Flow is an area of seawater that enjoys the protection of a natural harbour and has a long history of trade and conflict.
During World War 1, the Royal Navy chose Scapa Flow as the main naval base of the Grand Fleet. Admiral John Jellicoe, concerned with the possibility of submarine attacks from enemy lines, ordered reinforced defences, submarine nets, and chains to protect the valuable fleet. Block ships were sunk at strategic points to make the waters almost impossible for enemy traffic to navigate through them.
By World War 2, these defences had fallen into disrepair. On the night of 14th Oct 1939, a U-47 German sub, commanded by Gunther Prien, slipped through the weakened defences and sank HMS Royal Oak with several torpedoes. The ship sank quickly, losing 833 men out of a crew total of 1400. The wreck is now a protected war grave.
This Youtube video tells the story much better than I ever could and brings a lump to my throat each time I have watched it.
Why is this point in history important to me? My paternal grandfather was a CPO cook on HMS Royal Oak. He never talked about his experience in the icy, oily waters of Scapa Flow, but he had survived, unlike many of his shipmates. He lived for about another 20 years with those personal memories, but I am so proud of him.
Returning to our small corner in the West Midlands:
In other breaking news, the frogs are back! New frog spawn have been appearing in the last few days, and this morning, I spied ten frogs in the pond. They have clearly forgiven us for disturbing them! A pond is such an easy win to attract wildlife into the garden. Even a few inches of water is quite acceptable to them. We are going to be adding more plants, but for now, I am happy to see the frogs. We have started to add some turf around the edges of the pond which feels more natural than the slabs we had before and a small Hazel has been added in the near corner.
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| Frog spawn in top right corner |
A little rain is forecast this week, which should please the frogs and encourage the rest of the garden to start growing. Some sunshine would also be welcome.
Sending best wishes to you all from this small corner.
B and D
xx
Armchair traveling. I love that. That's a good saying. Love, love, love the minis. I just wanna grab my macro lens and take all kinds of shots.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the minis, they are fun to design with.
DeleteI would love frogs in my pond, your pond looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe pond is a work in progress but I am so pleased the frogs came back so quickly. There is a stream behind our garden so I assume they were in temporary residence there. I think they must have told their friends and neighbours about the new pad!! Here's hoping the frogs come visit you too.
DeleteI have often thought about sinking a large bowl into the ground and making a tiny pond. I have toads that hop around the garden every now and then.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the wildlife would love a tiny pond in a bowl. We have never had toads here so that must be a real treat for you. Have a lovely week whatever the weather.
DeleteI do like your wood dresser and the items now on the shelves ... it looks great.
ReplyDeleteArmchair travel can be very enjoyable.
You have good reason to be proud of your paternal grandfather.
So pleased that the frogs have come back :)
Enjoy your weekend and the coming week.
All the best Jan
Thank you, Jan. We still have a much larger dresser to fill, two tables and a couple of stoves. Work is in progress but we are having fun.
DeleteScapa Flow will always be an important place for me and although I have never been there, it is in my heart.
I'm very glad to welcome the frogs back and I hope they enjoy there new home in the pond.
Thank you for visiting and have a lovely week.
Those little dressers are an absolute beauty - so delightful and you must get such joy from looking at them. xx
ReplyDeleteD and I have a lot of fun arranging all the pieces and deciding what else needs adding to the scene. Lots of work but we enjoy every bit of it x
DeleteThe kitchen dresser is delightful. I love all the little details.
ReplyDeleteFrogs abandoned our pond a few years ago. Every year, I hope they will return, but so far, no luck!
Old sailors and soldiers never like to recount their often horrific experiences.
Glad you like the dresser and it's contents. Lots of fun to put together.
DeleteWhat a shame the frogs hopped away from your pad. I hope they decide to come back this year.
I agree that some memories might be impossible to share. What a burden that must be.
Your doll house kitchen essentials are very cute! I spotted dozens of frogs today, in the canal. That time of year. It is really good to see the frogs have returned to your wee pond x
ReplyDeleteThe doll house is very special to both D and myself and we love designing each room. Still lots to do but it is starting to come together.
DeleteThe frogs mass return to the pond is giving me great pleasure and I hope other wildlife will enjoy the updated surroundings. I'm looking forward to just sitting and enjoying that part of the garden now.
The dresser for your doll's house is lovely, I bet it was fun to put together. Great to have the frogs in your pond, we just have newts in ours. We used to have loads of frogs but they have disappeared over the years. Good to learn more about your grandfather and his experiences of Scapa Flow, no wonder those returning didn't want to talk about what happened then. Have a good week:)
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have newts in your pond.
DeleteThe dolls house is a mammoth adventure but it is good fun and D and I have lots of ideas for each room. Glad you liked the dresser.
It was interesting and poignant to find out about my grandads connection with Scapa Flow.